Sign-In
Cart
Monsieur Lecoq
Paperback
Mystery & ThrillerClassic FictionLiterary Fiction
Publisher: Les Prairies Numeriques
Published: Feb 22 2026
Pages: 982
Weight: 2.83
Height: 2.19 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Monsieur Lecoq is a fictional detective created by Émile Gaboriau, a 19th-century French writer and journalist. Monsieur Lecoq is employed by the French Sûreté. The character is one of the pioneers of the genre and a major influence on Sherlock Holmes (who, in A Study in Scarlet, calls him a miserable bungler), laying the groundwork for the methodical, scientifically minded detective. In French, Monsieur is Mister and his surname literally means The Rooster.
In the person of armchair detective Tabaret, nicknamed Père Tirauclair, (lit. Father Bringer of Light, or Old man Brings-to-light), a title Lecoq himself will eventually inherit, Gaboriau also created an older mentor for Lecoq who, like Mycroft Holmes and Nero Wolfe, helps the hero solve particularly challenging puzzles while remaining largely inactive physically. In Tabaret's case, aid is dispensed from the comfort of his bed.
Inspiration
One inspiration for the character of Monsieur Lecoq came from a certain Eugène François Vidocq, a real life criminal who later became a policeman and eventually the first director of the Sûreté. Another influence was a character named Monsieur Lecoq, who appeared in Les Habits Noirs, written by Paul Féval, père who had been Gaboriau's employer in 1862.
Honoré de Balzac introduced the notorious Vautrin, also inspired by Vidocq, in Le Père Goriot in 1834. Monsieur Lecoq is a fictional detective created by Émile Gaboriau, a 19th-century French writer and journalist. Monsieur Lecoq is employed by the French Sûreté. The character is one of the pioneers of the genre and a major influence on Sherlock Holmes (who, in A Study in Scarlet, calls him a miserable bungler), laying the groundwork for the methodical, scientifically minded detective. In French, Monsieur is Mister and his surname literally means The Rooster.
In the person of armchair detective Tabaret, nicknamed Père Tirauclair, (lit. Father Bringer of Light, or Old man Brings-to-light), a title Lecoq himself will eventually inherit, Gaboriau also created an older mentor for Lecoq who, like Mycroft Holmes and Nero Wolfe, helps the hero solve particularly challenging puzzles while remaining largely inactive physically. In Tabaret's case, aid is dispensed from the comfort of his bed.
Inspiration
One inspiration for the character of Monsieur Lecoq came from a certain Eugène François Vidocq, a real life criminal who later became a policeman and eventually the first director of the Sûreté. Another influence was a character named Monsieur Lecoq, who appeared in Les Habits Noirs, written by Paul Féval, père who had been Gaboriau's employer in 1862.
Honoré de Balzac introduced the notorious Vautrin, also inspired by Vidocq, in Le Père Goriot in 1834.
26 different editions
Also available
Also from
Gaboriau, Émile
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 1-The Lerouge Case & The Mystery of Orcival
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 1-The Lerouge Case & The Mystery of Orcival
Gaboriau, Émile
Hardcover
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 2- File No. 113 & A Disappearance
Gaboriau, Émile
Hardcover
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 2- File No. 113 & A Disappearance
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 3- Two Volumes in One Edition 'The Slaves of Paris'
Gaboriau, Émile
Hardcover
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 3- Two Volumes in One Edition 'The Slaves of Paris'
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 4- Two Volumes in One Edition Monsieur Lecoq & The Honour of the Name
Gaboriau, Émile
Hardcover
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 4- Two Volumes in One Edition Monsieur Lecoq & The Honour of the Name
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
Slaves of Paris (Complete Edition): Caught in the Net & the Champdoce Mystery
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
The Count's Millions: Pascal and Marguerite & Baron Trigault's Vengeance - Historical Mystery Novels
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
The Count's Millions: Pascal and Marguerite & Baron Trigault's Vengeance - Historical Mystery Novels
Gaboriau, Émile
Paperback
Also in
Mystery & Thriller
The Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy, Volume I: American Tabloid, the Cold Six Thousand; Introduction by Thomas Mallon
Ellroy, James
Hardcover
Coffin Road: An Utterly Gripping Crime Thriller from the Author of the China Thrillers
May, Peter
Paperback
Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Movie Tie-In Edition): Book 1 of the Millennium Trilogy
Larsson, Stieg
Paperback
The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
Big Little Truths: Reese's Book Club: A Novel: The Sequel to Big Little Lies
Moriarty, Liane
Hardcover
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover